Shoe Cover

ABSTRACT

A protective cover, and a method for producing the protective cover, for footwear. The protective cover includes a unitary body including a toe portion, a vamp portion, a quarter portion, a heel portion, and a throat portion. The body is formed from a multi-layer film including an outer layer that includes a first frictional property, an intermediate layer that is compliant, and an inner layer that includes a second frictional property, wherein each layer is water-resistant and the first frictional property is greater than the frictional anti-slip property.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a protective cover for footwear.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

The cost of footwear has always been relatively high and continues torise. As such, wearers do not wish to damage their shoes and ruin themprematurely. This is particularly true where dirt, rain, snow, ice, orother materials or compounds can contact and damage the uppers and outersoles of the shoes. Further, if shoes get wet, the wearer's feet maybecome uncomfortably damp throughout the day, which may cause the wearerto feel cold. Accordingly, shoe covers were developed to protect shoesin adverse weather conditions. Many of these shoe covers, however, arecostly and/or unwieldy to use.

Consumers of footwear today opt to invest in particular shoes not onlyfor comfort features but with an eye towards fashion. The trend of footapparel in the marketplace is towards style, design, brand name, andexpense. Footwear is representative of an individual's particular tasteand view towards fashion. Accordingly, today's consumers are opting toinvest in costly footwear. There exists a continued need, therefore, toprovide a low cost, easy to use means of protecting and preserving theappearance and comfort of the shoes of the wearer's choice.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not acomprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

The present disclosure provides a protective cover, and a method forproducing the protective cover, for footwear. The protective coverincludes a unitary body including a toe portion, a vamp portion, aquarter portion, a heel portion, and a throat portion. The body isformed from a multi-layer film including an outer layer that includes afirst frictional property, an intermediate layer that is compliant, andan inner layer that includes a second frictional property, wherein eachlayer is water-resistant, the first frictional property is greater thanthe second frictional property, and the intermediate layer includesrecycled plastic.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. The description and specific examples in this summaryare intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective shoe cover during use inaccordance with a principle of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a protective shoe cover of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a multilayer film that maybe used according to a principle of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates blank from which a plurality of protective shoecovers according to a principle of the present invention aremanufactured; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a manufacturing process that may be used to form amultilayer film.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a protective cover 10 for ladies' footwearwill be described. FIG. 1 illustrates protective cover 10 during usethereof, and FIG. 2 illustrates protective cover 10 during non-use.Protective cover 10 may be formed of a sheet material that lays flatwhen in non-use (i.e., protective cover 10 during non-use hassubstantially no depth), which enables protective cover 10 to belightweight, easily folded, and stowed. Protective cover 10 hasdimensions (described below), however, such that protective cover 10 isable to expand similar to a plastic bag and receive a ladies' shoe 12.

Similar to a ladies' shoe 12, a protective cover includes a toe portion14, a vamp portion 16, a quarter portion 18, a shank portion 20, a heelportion 22 and a throat portion 24. Throat portion 24 provides accessinto protective cover 10 and is shown in FIG. 2 in its fully expandedform. To ensure that protective cover 10 remains snugly over a shoe 12,throat portion 24 may include a retention mechanism 26. As shown in FIG.1, retention mechanism 26 pulls throat portion 24 snugly against a shinof the wearer to retain protective cover 10 snugly over shoe 12.

Protective cover 10 is particularly adapted for ladies' shoe 12, andmore particularly adapted for a ladies' high-heel shoe or pump. In thisregard, shank portion 20 and heel portion 22 each include a lengthsufficient to accommodate the entire length of a heel 28 of shoe 12,which may range between 1 and 5 inches in length. To accommodate variouscontours and shapes of different ladies' shoes 12, shank portion 20 mayinclude a radius of curvature 30, while heel portion 22 may include aradius of curvature 32 at a posterior portion 34 thereof. Anteriorportion 36 of heel portion 22 may be substantially linear along anentire length thereof where it meets shank portion 20. Vamp portion 16may also include a radius of curvature 39 between throat portion 24 andtoe portion 14.

To accommodate most ladies' shoes 12, protective cover 10 may include anoverall length L1 from toe portion 14 to quarter portion 18 that rangesbetween 12 and 16 inches. Preferably, length L1 from toe portion 14 toquarter portion 18 is about 14 inches. A height H1 of protective cover10 from a bottom edge 38 to throat portion 24 may range between 8 and 14inches, and preferably height H1 is about 9 inches. A length L2 ofbottom edge 38 may range between 6 and 8 inches in length, andpreferably length L2 is about 7.75 inches. A height H2 of toe portion 14may range between 2 and 4 inches, and preferably is about 3 inches. Alength L3 between shank portion 20 and quarter portion 18 may rangebetween 5 and 7 inches, and preferably length L3 is about 6.25 inches. Aheight H3 of posterior portion 34 may range between 3 and 4 inches, andpreferably height H3 is about 3.25 inches. A length L4 of posteriorportion 34 may range between 1 and 2 inches, and preferably length L4 isabout 1.375 inches. A length L5 of throat portion 24 may range between10 and 12 inches, and preferably length L5 is about 11 inches. It shouldbe noted, however, that due to retention mechanism 26, throat portion 24will have a length less than L5 during use of protective cover 10 asretention portion 26 will gather throat portion around the wearer'sankle. Lastly, a length L6 of shank portion may range between 2 and 4inches, and preferably length L6 is about 3 inches. Protective covers 10having the above-noted lengths and heights in the listed ranges aresuitable for accommodating most sizes of ladies' shoes 12. It should beappreciated, however, that for smaller or larger ladies' shoes 12 therange of dimensions will vary accordingly.

It should be understood that although protective cover 10 is describedthroughout the specification as being directed to a ladies' shoe 12, thepresent disclosure should not be limited thereto. More particularly,protective cover 10 may be adopted for use over men's and children'sfootwear as well. To accommodate most men's and children's footwear,heel portion 22 may have a height H3 of about 0.5 inches. Moreover, L1may be between about 9 to 16 inches, L2 may be between about 5 to 8inches, L3 may be between about 4 to 8 inches, L5 may be between about 5to 12 inches, and L6 may be between about 1 to 4 inches. H2 may be aboutthe same as for ladies' shoe 12, while H1 may be between about 6 and 10inches.

Protective cover 10 is preferably formed from a material that is water-and weather-resistant. In particular, protective cover 10 may be formedfrom a polymeric or plastic material. Forming protective cover 10 frompolymeric or plastic materials enables protective cover 10 to be wornover ladies' shoe 12 during inclement weather to protect a ladies' shoefrom damage from water, ice, snow, mud and any other debris that maydamage shoe 12. Although not required by the present disclosure, thepolymeric or plastic material may be a clear and colorless material thatenables the design of shoe 12 to be viewed during use of protectivecover 10. It should be understood, however, that protective cover 10 maybe an opaque or colored material without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure. As a material that is water- andweather-resistant, linear low-density polyethylene may be used. Otherpolymeric or plastic materials that are water- and weather-resistantinclude polypropylene, and polyvinylchloride. Any other material,however, that meets the water- and weather-resistant criteria herein mayalso be used.

Forming protective cover 10 from a polymeric or plastic material such aspolyethylene enables protective cover 10 to be light-weight and easilyfoldable, which enables protective cover 10 to be easily storable.Accordingly, protective cover 10 may be kept in a purse, wallet, glovecompartment, or storage receptacle within an automobile that enables awearer to use protective cover 10, as needed.

Referring to FIG. 3, protective cover 10 may be formed from amulti-layer film 40 that includes an outer layer 42 that may include africtional property (i.e., comprises an anti-slip resistant property),an intermediate layer 44 that is compliant, and an inner layer 46 (i.e.,a layer that contacts the shoe) that includes another frictionalproperty that may be substantially less in magnitude than outer layer 42to enable the wearer to easily slide protective cover 10 over shoe 12.Multi-layer film 40 preferably comprises a total thickness T that rangesbetween 1.0 and 4.0 mils. Preferably, total thickness T of protectivefilm 40 is about 2.0 mils.

Outer layer 42 includes an anti-slip resistant property because outerlayer 42 will be exposed to environments that may include water, ice,snow, and other debris when protective cover 10 is in use. Outer layer42, therefore, should provide sufficient frictional resistance duringuse to prevent, or at least substantially minimize, the wearer fromslipping on the walking surface in the above-noted conditions. Further,if protective cover 10 is used indoors, outer layer 42 should providesufficient frictional resistance to prevent, or at least substantiallyminimize, the wearer from slipping on surfaces such as carpet and smoothsurfaces like tiled or wood floors. Although inner layer 46 may have africtional property of substantially lesser magnitude than outer layer42 to allow the wearer to easily place protective cover 10 over shoe 12,it should be appreciated that the frictional property of inner layer 46is sufficient to prevent protective cover 10 from slipping off shoe 12during use thereof.

Intermediate layer 44 may be a compliant layer. That is, intermediatelayer 44 resists stretching and tearing, to increase the durability ofprotective cover 10. To make intermediate layer 44 compliant,intermediate layer 44 may include between 15-40% PCR (post consumerrecycled plastic), and preferably intermediate layer includes about 25%PCR. Although intermediate 44 is described as including environmentallyconscious use of PCR, it should be understood that both outer layer 42and inner layer 46 may also include PCR, without departing from thespirit and scope of the present disclosure. Using PCR in multi-layerfilm 40 decreases the cost of material used in manufacturing protectivecover 10, and provides the wearer with a protective cover that isenvironmentally conscious.

Each layer of multilayer film 40 may be formed of the same material(such as polyethylene) or different materials. For example, outer layer42 may be formed of polyethylene, intermediate layer 44 may be formed ofpolyvinylchloride, and inner layer 46 may be formed of polypropylene.Regardless, any combination of materials for each layer is contemplatedso long as outer layer 42 includes frictional properties that areanti-slip, inner layer 46 includes frictional properties that enable thewearer to easily slip protective cover 10 over shoe 12, and intermediatelayer is compliant.

If each layer of multilayer film 40 is formed of the same material (suchas polyethylene), the frictional properties of both the outer layer 42and inner layer 46 and the compliant property of intermediate layer 44may be adjusted by modifying the molecular weight of the selectedmaterial of each layer. For example, to provide outer layer 42 with ananti-slip property, outer layer 42 may be formed of a form of thematerial having a lower molecular weight and density than inner layer46. Moreover, as stated above, intermediate layer 44 may comprise a formof the material including an environmentally conscious PCR contentranging between 15 and 40%, which increases the compliant property ofthe intermediate layer 44. Adding PCR to the outer layer 42 and innerlayer 46 may also adjust the molecular weight of these layers to adjusttheir respective frictional properties.

Layers of multi-layer film 40 may also include materials such asultraviolet (UV) inhibitors, anti-blocking materials, plasticizers, andthe like. UV-inhibitors assist in preventing UV radiation frompenetrating protective cover 10, which decreases the likelihood of shoe12 fading during use of protective cover 10. UV inhibitors also protectthe material that forms protective cover 10 from UV radiation, which canweaken the polymer or plastic's strength and, if colored, fade itscolor. Anti-blocking materials assist in preventing protective covers 10from sticking together during packaging of protective covers 10.Plasticizers may be used to assist in manufacturing of protective cover10.

Although protective cover 10 is described above as being formed ofmulti-layer film 40, the present disclosure should not be limitedthereto. In this regard, protective cover 10 may be formed of a singlelayer film, a dual layer film, or any other number of films, as desiredso long as protective cover 10 is suitable for remainingweather-resistant. Further, if protective cover 10 is formed of a singlelayer or double layer film, protective cover 10 may retain theabove-noted anti-slip properties by making an outer surface moreslip-resistant relative to an inner surface by, for example, usingvarious polymeric or plastic additives in the film, or by providingvarious additives to the outer and inner surfaces, respectively, byspraying, coating, or the like.

Now referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a method for manufacturing protectivecover 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality ofprotective covers 10 may be formed from a blank 48 of multi-layer film40. Blank 48 may be formed by blown-film extrusion, also known as atubular film process. To produce blank 48 of multi-layer film 40, thepolymeric or plastic material (such as polyethylene) arrives at themanufacturing facility in pellet (resin) form. The machine operatorpours the resin into a hopper 50, which feeds the resin into an extruder52. Heating elements 54 and turning of the extruder screw (not shown)melts the resin into a molten form and forces it through extruder 52.

If protective cover 10 is to be formed from a single-layer film (notshown), extruder 52 may be provided with a circular die 56 locateddownstream from extruder 52 so that as the molten resin flows evenly andover circular die 56, the sheet material will emerge as a tube 60. Thetube 60 is then fed through a pulley system 62 that pulls tube 60. Aspulley system 62 is pulling tube 60, the machine operator inserts an airgun (not shown) into tube 60 to blow air into sheet 58, which increasesa diameter of tube 60 as it is pulled by pulley system 62. Once tube 60reaches the desired diameter, tube 60 is fed through a guide 64, whichforces tube 62 into a layflat form 66. Subsequently, tube 60 in layflatform 66 is rolled until protective covers 10 are to be formed therefromin a die-cutting and sealing process.

To form multi-layer film 40, three extruders 52 are used that eachextrude material for outer layer 42, intermediate layer 44, and innerlayer 46, respectively. This enables, as stated above, each layer to beseparately formed to have different properties (e.g., anti-slip,compliant, UV-resistant, etc). As sheets 58 emerge from extruders 52,sheets 58 are simultaneously fed through circular die 56, which islocated downstream from extruders 52 and fuses each layer together toform multilayer film 40 in the shape of tube 60. Tube 60 is then fedthrough pulley system 62 that pulls tube 60. As pulley system 62 ispulling tube 60, the machine operator inserts the air gun (not shown)into tube 60 to insert air therein, which increases the diameter of tube60 as it is pulled by pulley system 62. Once tube 60 reaches the desireddiameter, tube 60 is fed through a guide 64, which forces tube 60 into alayflat form 66. Subsequently, tube 60 in layflat form 66 is rolleduntil protective covers 10 are to be formed therefrom in a die-cuttingand sealing process.

FIG. 4 illustrates the outline 66 of protective covers 10 to be die cutand sealed during the die-cutting and sealing process. Lines 68represent portions of multilayer film 40 that are sealed to enclose andcomplete formation protective cover 10. To cut and seal protective cover10 along lines 66 and 68, a heat sealing process may be used. In thisregard, a heated die (not shown) having a shape that corresponds tooutline 66 of protective cover 10 is pressed against blank 48 for apredetermined dwell time, which seals portions of multilayer film 40along lines 68 and cuts protective covers 10 from blank 48 along lines66. Alternatively, lines 68 may be sealed sonically, vibrationally, bylaser, or any other process known to one skilled in the art. Line 70represents a separation line of adjacent protective covers that may beperforated by the heated die. When line 70 is cut, throat portion 24 isformed.

After protective covers 10 are formed as set forth above, retentionmechanism 26 may be incorporated into throat portion 24. As illustratedin FIGS. 1 and 2, retention mechanism may be an elastic band. Retentionmechanism 26, however, should not be limited thereto. In this regard,after cutting along line 70, throat portion 24 may be slightly foldedand sealed to provide a sleeve that may accommodate a lace or drawstringthat may act as retention mechanism 26. Retention mechanism 26 may alsocomprise VELCRO® or a buckle such as a hook-eye. Regardless, whenprotective cover 10 is provided with retention mechanism 26, dimensionof throat portion 24 pulls throat portion 24 to a dimension less than alength L5 of throat portion 24 illustrated in FIG. 2, but may enablethroat portion 24 to fully expand to length L5 in order to enable awearer to place her foot and shoe 12 into protective cover 10. It shouldbe understood, however, that retention mechanism 26 provides a manner inwhich to secure protective cover 10 to a wearer's foot or shoe andprevent protective cover 10 from sliding off the wearer's foot duringuse thereof, and prevents weather (i.e., rain, snow, ice, debris, etc.)from entering protective cover 10 during use thereof.

As described above, protective cover 10 provides an inexpensive,lightweight, and foldable device for protecting ladies' footwear.Protective cover 10, therefore, may be easily stowed and used, asweather conditions require. As protective cover 10 may be formed from apolymeric or plastic film, protective cover 10 enables the design ofshoe 12 to be viewed during use thereof. Moreover, as protective cover10 may be formed from multi-layer film 40, protective cover 10 may beprovided with a plurality of different properties, including anti-slip,weather-resistant, anti-UV, etc., without limitation. Further, the useof recycled plastic provides an environmentally conscious protectivecover 10. Due to retention mechanism 26, protective cover 10 is alsoadapted to remain snugly over shoe 12 during use thereof, whileexpandable to easily place protective cover 10 over shoe 12.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features ofa particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used ina selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. Thesame may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

1. A protective cover for footwear, comprising a unitary body includinga toe portion, a vamp portion, a quarter portion, a heel portion, and athroat portion, said body formed from a film including an outer surfacethat includes a first frictional property and an inner surface thatincludes a second frictional property, wherein said film iswater-resistant and said first frictional property is greater than saidsecond frictional property.
 2. The protective cover of claim 1, whereinsaid film is a multi-layer film including an outer layer, anintermediate layer, and an inner layer.
 3. The protective cover of claim2, wherein said outer layer includes said first frictional property,said intermediate layer includes a compliant property, and said innerlayer includes said second frictional property.
 4. The protective coverof claim 2, wherein at least one layer of said multi-layer film isformed of a material including about 25% recycled material.
 5. Theprotective cover of claim 2, wherein said intermediate layer resistsstretching and tearing.
 6. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein saidthroat portion includes a retention mechanism.
 7. The protective coverof claim 6, wherein said retention comprises an elastic band.
 8. Theprotective cover of claim 6, wherein said retention mechanism is one ofan elastic band, a pull tie, a VELCRO® strap, and a buckle.
 9. Theprotective cover of claim 1, wherein said heel portion is sized toaccommodate a heel of a ladies' high-heel shoe.
 10. The protective coverof claim 1, wherein said heel portion is sized to accommodate said heelhaving a length that ranges between 0.5 inch to 5 inches.
 11. Theprotective cover of claim 1, wherein said film is formed ofpolyethylene.
 12. The protective cover of claim 2, wherein said outerlayer is formed of polyethylene having a lower density than polyethylenethat forms said inner layer.
 13. The protective cover of claim 2,wherein said intermediate layer includes recycled polyethylene.
 14. Theprotective cover of claim 1, wherein said film includes an ultravioletinhibitor.
 15. A method for manufacturing a protective cover forfootwear, comprising: producing a multi-layer film including an outerlayer that includes a first frictional property, an intermediate layerthat is compliant, and an inner layer that includes a second frictionalproperty, wherein each layer is water-resistant and said firstfrictional property is greater than said second frictional property;forming said multi-layer film into a tube; sealing an outline of theprotective cover and after said outline is sealed, cutting theprotective covers from said tube.
 16. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising providing the protective cover with a retention mechanism.17. The method of claim 16, wherein said retention mechanism is one ofan elastic band, a pull tie, a VELCRO® strap, and a buckle.
 18. Themethod of claim 15, wherein said outline of the protective cover isadapted to accommodate a shoe including a heel having a length thatranges between 0.5 inch to 5 inches.
 19. The method of claim 15, whereinsaid outer layer is formed of a material having a lower density thansaid inner layer.